


A Sleeping Giant

by neverending_story



Category: Homeland
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-21
Updated: 2016-04-21
Packaged: 2018-06-03 14:45:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6614725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neverending_story/pseuds/neverending_story
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A silly little thing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Sleeping Giant

Getting out of the darkness is always the worst part. The scariest part. At least she has Hugo with her, but she still has to rely on herself, it’s _him_ she has to protect, he’s her best friend after all. Maybe this wasn’t the greatest idea, she thinks, hearing the strange noises coming from afar. But she has to be brave, going back is not an option now. 

She tries to be silent, the ground squeaks a little, she takes a deep breath and finally moves forward, holding her companion’s hand firmly. They emerge round the next corner, there is a flickering light in the distance, and something what looks like a hill, or is it a pile of -  
“Hugo! Come quickly!”, she gasps. “You’ve got to see this!” Maybe it’s a volcano. She learned about it the other day. It’s making strange sounds, that would be it, but there’s no smoke here, so it has to be something different. Then suddenly, she notices it and gasps again. Oh, no! It lives, it’s alive! “I see a hand, that’s not a hill, that’s a giant, a sleeping giant! ” 

She now remembers what the book said. When a giant snores, it’s a bad sign. It means he’s hungry and he’s going to…She doesn’t want to scare Hugo so she’s not going to tell him but…giants usually eat children and beautiful princesses. Unless…unless he’s a _good_ giant. Like the one the book was about. Good giants eat broccoli and they’re really kind. They’re friends with all the living creatures and protect the ones they love. Of course, they could probably get angry when someone pokes them while they’re sleeping, but at least they don’t eat anyone. How can they know he’s not the bad one though! We have to explore this, there’s no other option. We can’t return back knowing he’s right here, so close, she thinks. 

“Hugo,” she whispers, “we need to move closer and examine him. There’s a way how to protect ourselves. We just have to blow a tiny puff of air into his ear. The book says that’ll calm him down and erase bad thoughts, so he won’t get angry, even if he really _is_ the bad one. And then…then we’ll have a better look.” 

Maybe if he had a really big belly, that could prove that he ate a lot of princesses. This one doesn’t seem to have one, but you never know, maybe they were very thin princesses, or he runs a lot. 

She looks back at Hugo. He's not one for words, he’s a rabbit after all, but the point is, he’s always been very loyal and supportive; each time she begged him to go on another adventure with her, he went. So she takes his hand and they slowly move forward. 

From this angle, the giant seems to be really big, quite slim though, maybe he really does eat just vegetables. The weird things is, he's smiling. The book didn’t say anything about that. What could it mean? She comes even closer to study him. He’s got a really nice face. A bit scruffy. And his hair looks funny. He doesn't look dangerous at all. But that could be a trap. That and the fact that he doesn’t seem to have a giant belly. They have to be careful. 

"Don’t worry," she whispers. "We’re in his together. Just remember, we can’t wake him up. Just blow a bit of air into his ear. On three ok? One, two - 

“Hey! Look who’s not sleeping!”

Frannie stiffens and turns around. 

“What did we say last time? Now take Hugo and off to bed! I’ll be there in a minute.”

The little girl and her dear friend quickly disappear into the corridor, still giggling and whispering erratically along the way.

She comes slowly to the couch, the snoring sounds are making her giggle herself. She’s a bit embarrassed but giddy at the same time, witnessing the two of them together. She sits at the corner and gently kisses Quinn’s ear. He stirs a little, then frantically rises and says “Oh, fuck, is it morning already?!”

“Hi to you too…I thought you were supposed to be watching _her_ , not the other way round.”

“Sorry, I dozed off…”

She's still smiling and he’s still a little disoriented.

“I’ll be right back.”

When she enters her room, Frannie is already in bed, covered from head to toe, clutching the rabbit in her hands. Carrie sits beside her and tucks her in.

“Emily told me you read together and then you fell asleep like a good girl.”

“I woke up…and thought you were gone…”

“Honey, I just drove her home. And you weren’t alone.”

“Who was that, Mommy?”

“That’s Quinn. Mommy’s…friend.”

“Qu..inn..That’s a nice name.”

“It is, isn't it…you’ll meet him in the morning, properly. You can introduce him to Hugo, if you'd like. Now chop-chop, close your eyes and off to the dreamland.”

Carrie kisses her daughter’s cheek and as she’s moving towards the door, she hears the little voice again.  
“Mommy?” Carrie raises her eyebrow but can’t help smiling when Frannie asks her one last thing, before she drifts to sleep, with strange curiosity.

“What does he like to eat?”

____________

Carrie comes back to the living room where Quinn is still sitting on the couch, arms crossed against his chest, looking rather nervous and rather endearing.

“Is she all right?”

“Yeah. Sneaky little thing. I’m amazed how she didn’t wake you. That never happens. Six in the morning, never a minute late. Be warned. Well…not exactly how I’ve imagined your first encounter but…we’ll sort something out. She probably wanted to explore the forbidden ground.”

“While breaking couple of rules along the way…she really _is_ yours.” He chuckles and she is now sitting beside him, fondling with his hair.

“She makes me laugh so much. Just asked me what do you eat.”

“Speaking of food…I’m kind of hungry.”

“Yeah? I’ll fetch you something. What would you like?”

"You’re gonna laugh but I had this weird dream about a giant broccoli…now I’d really like one."

"You’re lucky, there’s one in the fridge."

"And then…I was thinking...since I had this _other_ dream as well…"

" _That_ will be the dessert," she says with a cheeky smile and kisses him.


End file.
